Mail-bag-transfer device.



\ J. L. ADAM. l MAIL BAG TRANSFER DEVICE. APPLIOATIONTILBD FEB. 13, 1908.

L M f f". 1 k r u 8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. L. ADAM.

MAIL BAG- TRANSFER DEVICE.

APPLIUATION FILED H1343. 1908.

926,226. Patented June 29, 1909.

3 BHBETB-SHEET 2.

1u: nomi: PirsRs o.. wAsHlNmoN. n. c

J. L. ADAM.

MAIL BAG TRANSFER DEVICE.

PPLIUATION Pimm rma. 1a, 190e.

926,226, Patented June 29, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEtCE.

JOHN L. ADAM, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUlSlAh'A.

MAIL-BAG-TRANSFER DEVICE To all whom it may concern:

Be it known `that I, JOHN L. Ani-vii, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, parish of Orleans, and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful ltlail-Bag-Transfer Device for Catching and Delivering Mail-Bags and Similar Packages from Trains at Stations While Under Full Speed, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates more particularly to catchers and cranes, and the object is to provide a single device on the car and another on the post at the station whereby each will deliver one package to the other and receive another package from it, the delivering taking place simultaneously in both directions and in such manner that the impact will not injure the package no matter how great the speed of the train.

To this end the invention consists in means for permitting a certain revolution of the supporting shaft under tension until the force of the impact is exhausted, as well as in certain details of construction which pei'- mit the carrying out of this general itea.Y

Certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the .following specitication, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a general perspective view of the device in operation on a car which is supposed to be moving` to the left; F ig. 2 is an elevation of the same device illustrated on a car shown in part and which is supposed to be moving to the right; Fig. I-i is a plan view of Fig. 2, illust rating a swinging support which may be added for the benet of thel operator within the car; Fig. l is a detail of one of the handles; Fig. 5 is an elevation of a slightly modified type of the invention designed for use in catching and delivering` larger bags or articles; Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof much similar to Fig. 3.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a fixed support such as a post, and 101 a swinging support suoli as an upright rod mounted in eyes 102 on the car 100, and from either support projects brackets 103 in which is journaled an upright shaft 11 having nuts 14 at its extremities adapted to be set so as to adjust the tension of springs 13 to retard Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led February 13, 1908.

Patented [fune 29, 1900.

Serial N0. 415,749.

or reduce its rotation. The support 1 is usually lixed as by being part of a building, or a post suitably braced as shown; whereas the swinging support 101 on the car is adapted to be moved by a lever 17 attached to it and extending into the car over a segment 10 to which it can be locked in proper position by a pin 1S or other suitable device.

Fig. 3 indicates in dotted lines how the lever may be moved to the position 1T so that the brackets 103 and the catching and delivering` devices will be swung bodily to a point opposite the door 105 in the car and within reach of the operator. This view and Fig. G both illustrate straight tubular brackets 103 connecting the supporty and shaft, and additional `tension springs 12 mounted on them and adapted to exert pi sure upon the shaft to further retard free rotation, but the use of these springs is optional.

The holder for the bag or package '2 coniprises strips 23 connecting parallel handles -1 and adapted to pass vertically around it. and each handle has a rallier wide inner eye S and a somewhat smaller and probably circular outer eye 5. Obviously the handles could be part of the bag or package. but l prefer to make them separate and connect them by strips as described in order that the holder may bc applied lo the ordinary bag or an ordinary package such as now in use and which it is desired to handle, the connection heilig such however th: t the handles will stand a predetermined distance apart for a purpose to be explained below.

ln the preferred embodiment of nwiiinvention, pairs of hooks T are secured at il and l0 to the upper portion ol' the sha'l't llV on the car and the lower portion ot thc sha lt 1l on the post. the shanks of the hooks o'l' each pair standing in a single vertical plane and converging or approaching each other toward their lforward hooked extremities as shown; and at the upper portion of the shaft on the post and the lower portion ol' the shaft on the car l secure pairs ot arms l whose shanks stand in a vertical plane and at right angles lo the shanks of their respective hooks. and whose extremities are bent at right angles to their shanks and stanti in a vertical plane para lel with but out of the plane occupied by said hooksall as best seen in Fig. 8 and as illustrated in Fig. 1. Wrhichever way the train is to move, its hooks of course project forward when its arms project outward from the car, while the hooks on the fixed device project rearward and its arms outward toward the track as will be understood.

The operation of the device thus far described will be best seen in Fig. 1, wherein a bag is shown in each holder and the smaller eyes 5 of the latter are engaged with the extremities of the arms 6 on the relatively rear sides of the two devices. As the car 100 moves to the left the t-ips of its hooks 7 enter the larger eyes 8 which are purposely elongated laterally to take up for the vibration of the car, its movement around curves, and other irregularities which are known to exist; and at the some moment the tips of the hooks 7 on the post enter the eyes 8 of the holder on the car. Further progress of the car causes the tips of'both pair of hooks to pass through the eyes 8 so that the latter slide onto the diverging shanks of the hooks and, by drawing the two handles 4 apart and compressing the bag and package slightly, meet with a suficient resistance to prevent the handles from sliding back to the points 9 and 10 and the bag or package from striking the shaft 11. During this operation the eyes 5 are stripped off the extremities of the arms 6, and the force of the impact causes both shafts 11 to rotate in their bearings in the brackets 103 as far as necessary and as limited by the tension of the springs, until the inertia of the bags has spent itself-the device onthe car having meanwhile passed that on the post as will be understood. Thereafter the operator at the station may spring the tips of the hooks 7 slightly toward each other and disengage the holder and remove the bag, while the operator within the car may swing the lever 17 so that through the door 105 he can remove the bag which his catcher has picked up.

By a slight modification illustrated on Sheet 3 it is quite possible to adapt this device for handling longer bags or larger packages on roads or under conditions where the exigencies of the case may demand. Herein the construction is practically the same as that shown in Fig. 8 except with respect to the hooks and arms.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the numerals 15 designate the arms which are fixed upon and extend radially from either shaft 11 and have deflected extremities as above described, and the numerals 16 designate hooks also fixed upon the shaft, projecting therefrom at right angles to the arms, and having deflected tips standing parallel with but out of the plane of the extremities of the arms. Both pairs of members may be curved in their length as shown, so as to bring about the right angular disposition of their Shanks and the parallel location of their extremities, in addition to which the hooks converge slightly toward each other toward their tips as shown in F ig. 5, and all four members preferably taper slightly from their points of attachment to the shaft 11.

In operation, a bag is hung on the extremities of the arms as shown, and the device if on a car is swung out to the position illustrated. In its movement to the right when the delivery crane meets a catcher standing alongside the track, it will be understood that the tips of its hooks engage the elongated eyes at the same time that the hooks on the catcher engage the eyes in the handles of the moving bag. In the same manner as above described, each pair of hooks strips the smaller eyes 5 off the extremities of the other pair of arms, and the impact of the two bags in striking each other will cause the rotation of each shaft 11 in its bearings in the brackets 103 until checked by the tension of the springs. Meanwhile the longer eyes 8 will move onto the shanks of the hooks 16 which by their divergence and also by their increasing width tend to prevent the handles from sliding back thereon until the bag strikes the shaft 11. The removal of the bag from each pair of hooks is accomplished in the manner set forth above.

It is obvious that this device in either form may be used to exchange bags, or to deliver one bag in which latter case there will be no impact in any event; and in either case the rotation of the shaft 11 may be retarded by any suitable tension in place of the springs which I have herein shown and described simply for sake of illustration. I do not therefore limit myself to the use of this precise form of tension device, nor in fact to other details of construction forming no essential part of the present invention. The parts are preferably of'metal throughout excepting the straps. The use of the swinging support is optional, although some such movable support is doubtless preferable on the car and may often be used to advantage at a station where the fixed device 1 is adjacent a building through whose door or window it might be possible to reach the bag.

IVhile I have described the hooks and arms as standing at right angles to each other and their tips and extremities as parallel, such is only my preferred construction since this position can be varied slightly as experience may dictate. Obviously the shaft 11 on the car when in its operative position should move past and rather close to the shaft on the post in order that the arms 6 or 15 may be as short as possible consistent with the width of the bag or package, and the length of the hooks 7 or 16 need be only that which will cause the divergence of their shanks to spread the two handles -t slightly apart in the act of making the transfer. It may even be practicable to dispense with such divergence where the spring tension is considerable, although I consider it advisable to use both means (and in fact the third spring l2) to offset the inertia and prevent jar and injury as far as possible.

`What is claimed as new is:

l. In a mail bag catcher, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, means for retarding its rotation, and hooks projecting radially from said shaft; of a bag holder comprising handles having eyes adapted to be simultaneously engaged by said hooks, and strips connecting the handles and inclosing the bag, and means for releasably supporting the holder.

2. In a mail bag catcher, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, an adjustable tension device for retarding its rotation, and hooks projecting radially from said shaft; of a bag holder comprising handles having laterally elongated eyes adapted to be simultaneously engaged by said hooks, and stripsl connecting the handles and inclosing the bag, and means for releasably supporting the holder.

3. In a mail bag catcher, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, means for retarding its rotation, and hooks projecting radially from said shaft and converging toward their tips, of a bag holder comprising handles having eyes adapted to be simultaneously engaged by said tips, and devices connecting the handles and inclosing the bag, and means for releasably supporting the holder.

4l. In a mail bag delivery device, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, means for retarding its rotation, and arms projecting radially from said shaft; of a bag holder comprising handles having eyes adapted to be simultaneously engaged by said arms and devices connecting the handles and inclosing the holder, and means for catching the holder and stripping its eyes off said arms.

5. In a mail bag delivery device, the combination with an uprightv rotary shaft. means for retarding its rotation, and arms projecting radially from said shaft and having deflected extremities standing in a single vertical plane; of a bag holder comprising handles having eyes adapted to be simultaneously engaged by said extremities and devices connecting the handles and 'mclosing the bag, and means for catching the holder and stripping its eyes off said extremities.

G. In a mail bag delivery device, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, means for retarding its rotation, and arms projecting radially from said shaft, and having deflected extremities standing in a single vertical plane; of a bag holder comprising handles having eyes adapted to be simultaneously engaged by said extremities and laterally elongated eyes adjacent. them and devices connecting the handles and inclosing the bag, and catching hooks whose tips are adapted to engage said elongated eyes.

T. In a mail bag delivery device, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, means for retarding its rotation, and arms projecting radially from said shaft and having deflected extremities standing in a single vertical plane, of a bag holder comprising handles having eyes adapted to be simultaneously engaged by said extremities and other eyes next inside them and devices connecting the handles and inelosing the bag. and a pair of catching hooks whose tips are adapted to engage the inner eyes and whose shanks diverge toward their support.

8. In a mail bag handling device, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, a pair of members projecting radially therefrom, and a bag holder having eyes adapted to be engaged by said members; of an upright support including brackets in which the shaft is journaled, means for swinging the support and its brackets, and tension devices for retarding the rotation of the shaft in its journals.

9. In a mail bag handling device, the combination with an upright rotary shaft, a pair of parallel members projecting radially therefrom and having deflected extremities, and a bag holder having eyes adapted to be engaged by the extremities thereof; of an upright support including brackets in which the shaft is journaled, means for swinging the support and its brackets, and a tension device for retarding the rotation of the shaft in its journals.

l0. In a mail bag handling device, the combination with a rotary shaft, members projecting therefrom and adapted to engage the bag, bearings for the shaft, springs on the shaft. pressing against the bearings, and means for adjusting their tension; of a support including a rod having brackets connected with said bearings, an additional tension device on one bracket engaging said shaft, and means for shifting the rod.

ll. In a mail bag handling device. the combination with a rotary shaft, members projecting therefrom and adapted to engage the bag, bearings for the shaft', springs pressing against the bearings, and means for adjusting their tension; of a rod, brackets connecting it with said bearings, an additional tension spring on one bracket pressing against said shaft, eyes supporting the rod, a lever 'tast on it for swinging it in its eyes, and means for locking the lever in different positions.

1Q. A mail bag transfer comprising lixed and movable devices, each including a rod UJI with catching hooks, and delivering arms projecting therefrom at substantially right angles to each other, the catcher on each device being disposed opposite the deliverer on the other.

13, A mail bag transfer comprising fixerVl and movable devices, each including a rod, catching hooks projecting therefrom and standing in a single plane, and delivering arms projecting therefrom with their extremities standing in a single plane out of the plane of the hooks, the catcher on each device being disposed opposite the deliverer on the other with the tips of the hooks of one device standing in the plane of the eX- tremities of the arms in the other and adapted to pass between them as the movable device passes the fixed device.

1-1. A mail bag transfer comprising fixed and movable devices, each including a shaft, means for retarding its rotation, catching hooks projecting` therefrom, and delivering arms projecting therefrom at right angles t( the shanks of said hooks, the catcher on each device being' disposed opposite the deliverer on the other.

15. A mail bag transfer comprising fixed and movable devices, each including a rod, means for retarding its rotation, catching hooks projecting therefrom and standing in single plane, and delivering arms project ing therefrom at right angles to the Shanks of said hooks with their extremities standing in a single plane out of the plane of the hooks, the catcher on each device being disposed opposite the deliverer on the othei' With the tips of the hooks of one device standing in the normal plane of the extreinities of the arms in the other and adapted to pass between them and impart rotation to the rods as the movable device passes the fixed device.

16. A mail bag transfer comprising fixed and movable devices, each including an upright rod mounted in bearings, means for retarding its rotation, catching hooks and delivering arms projecting therefrom at right angles to each other, the catcher on each device being disposed opposite the deliverer on the other, and bag` holders each having a pair of eyes spaced for the hooks and another pair spaced for the arms.

17. A mail bag transfer comprising xed and movable devices, each comprising an upright rod mounted in bearings, means for retarding its rot-ation, a catcher and a deliverer projecting from each rod at right angles to each other, the catcher on one device being disposed opposite the deliverer on the other, and bag holders having eyes adapted to be supported on the deliverers and stripped therefrom by the catchers.

18. A mail bag transfer comprising fixed and movable devices, each comprising an up- -right rod mounted in bearings, means for retarding its rotation, a catcher and a deliverer projecting from each rod at right angles to each other, the catcher on one devic( being disposed opposite the deliverer on the other, and bag holders adapted to be removably held by the deliverers and drawn from them by the catchers as the latter impart rotation to said rods.

19. A mail bag transfer comprising' fixed and movable devices, each comprising an upright rod mounted in bearings, means for retarding its rotation, a catcher and a deliverer projecting from each rod at right angles to each other, the catcher on one device being disposed opposite the deliverer on the other, and means for removably mounting the bags on the deliverers and for stripping them therefrom by the catchers as the latter impart rotation to said rods.

20. A holder for mail bags and the like comprising handles having eyes, and strips connecting the handles and adapted to inclose the bag; combined With a handling device including members adapted to en gage said eyes.

21. A holder for mail bags and the like comprising parallel handles each having two eyes, and strips connecting the handles and adapted to inclose the bag; combined with handling devices of Which the deliverer has arms adapted to engage one pair of eyes and the catcher has hooks adapted to engage the other.

22. A holder for mail bags and the like comprising' parallel handles each having two eyes, and strips connecting the handles and adapted to inclose the bag; combined With transfer devices each including a pair of arms adapted to engage one pair of eyes and a pair of hooks standing at right angles to the arms and adapted to engage the other pair of eyes.

23. A holder for mail and the like, eyes on the holder, and a deliverer; combined With a catcher including hooks adapted to engage said eyes, and means for permitting the hooks to be moved to the rear by the impact after engagement.

24. A holder for mail and the like, eyes on the holder, and a deliverer; combined with a catcher including hooks adapted to engage said eyes, and means for permitting the hooks to be swung to the rear around their support by the impact after engagement With the eyes.

25. A holder for mail and the like, eyes on the holder, and a catcher; combined with a deliverer including arms adapted to engage said eyes, and means for permitting the arms to be moved to the rear by the impact as the eyes are stripped therefrom.

26. A holder for mail and the like, eyes on the holder, and a cat-cher; combined with a deliverer including arms adapted to engage said eyes, and means for permitting the arms to be swung to the rear around l eyes and hooks adapted to engage the inner their support by the impact as the eyes are stripped therefrom.

27. A holder for mail and the like, and eyes on the holder; combined with handling devices eaeh including an arm adapted to engage one eye and a hook adapted to engage the other and standing` at right angles to its arm, and means t'or permitting the arm and hook to be moved by the impact.

28. A holder formail and the like. and

4eyes on the holder; combined with lianding devices eaeh including' an arm adapted to engage one eye and a hook adapted to engage the other and standing aty right angles to its arm, and means for permitting the arm and hook to be swung` around their support by the nnnact.

29. A holder for mail and the like, and inner and outer eyes at its top and bottom; combined with handline' devices each inelnding` arms adapted to engage the outer eyes, the arms and hooks on eaeh device being mounted on a support at substantially right angles to each other, and means for permittingl them to be moved simultaneously bv the impact.

BO. A holder for mail and the like7 and inner and outer eyes aty its top and bottom; combined with handling devices each including arms adapted lo engage one pair of eyes and hooksl adapted to engage the other pair ol: eyes. the arms and hooks on eaeh deviee being` mounted on an upright rotary support at substantially right angles to eaeh other, and means for permitting them to be swung with their support simultaneously bv the impact.

JOI-IN L. ADAM.

Yitnessesz .lonN J. MeC/Losknr, JN0. A. G iLnnxrii. 

